Will religion ever truly be accountable for the abuse it has inflicted on children? Sexuall or otherwise?
Talking about all religions and religious organizations in general, I don't think that a simple yes/no can answer the questions.
First, how do we define "holding them accountable"? You will get different answers from different people. For example, what many people who have been abused would like to see happening to see them held accountable may not be exactly the same thing that their defense attorneys will say it should be.
Then, and this is just my opinion, is punishing religion or religious organizations what is needed? Is there a way of preventing sexual abuse in a religious setting? Is prevention the purpose, focus or intent or holding them accountable? Looking at history, some organizations and some religious individuals have been found guilty and punished. Has that stop them from re-offending? Has the religious organization changed their policies because of it?
The issue has to be taken from the right perspective. I personally wouldn't want to see people wining law suits, nor would I want to see people losing the structure that religion gives them. I want to see sexual abuse not happening at all, so there wouldn't be any need for lawsuits. Is that what we are really aiming for? It doesn't look that way to me based on what I observe is happening.
